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Resist Elements
| rarity = Common | type = Unit Enchantment | casting_cost = | combat_casting_cost = | upkeep_cost = | research_cost = | effects = Grants the target unit and against any effect or direct damage from and sources. }} Resist Elements is a Common Unit Enchantment from the Realm. For , it may be cast on a friendly unit on the overland map to give it two transient bonuses: against Unit Curses and ill effects associated with the and Realms; and against all direct-damage attacks from the same Realms. This benefit can be maintained with a per turn Upkeep Cost. Alternatively, a cheaper version of the same spell may be cast for only during combat, in which case it will temporarily bestow the same bonuses on a unit for the duration of the battle (with no permanent effects or Upkeep Cost). Effects Resist Elements protects a unit against specific types of magic. It bestows two separate bonuses of the same magnitude, both of which apply conditionally against attacks associated with either the or the Realms. However, neither bonus is cumulative with those granted by the similar, but more powerful, spell. Resistance Bonus The first benefit of Resist Elements is a bonus. This applies every time the unit, or its , are making a check to avoid an enemy or spell, or Special Attack. This makes it easier for the unit to avoid the following ill effects: Defense Bonus The second benefit is a bonus, that applies whenever the unit is targeted by any Conventional Damage attack associated with or . Naturally, this only works if the attack allows a Defense Roll (i.e. is not a Doom Damage attack). It's also worth noting that this bonus can be halved by Armor Piercing, or negated by Illusion, if applicable. Otherwise, it grants 3 extra dice on the Defense Roll, making it more likely that the enchanted unit will suffer less, or no from these attacks. The bonus of Resist Elements will trigger against the following attacks (sources marked with an asterisk deal Armor Piercing Damage and will thus reduce the effectiveness of the spell): * All , except those of Aerie the Illusionist and Zaldron the Sage; * Fire Breath, Lightning Breath*, and Immolation; * The hidden Conventional Damage component of Stoning Gaze; * (Fire Bolt effect), (Warp Lightning effect)*, *, , , , , *, (adjacent unit damage)*, , , and *; * *, , and . Usage Resist Elements may be cast both overland and in combat, for the basic Casting Costs of and respectively. If the casting is successful, the game will prompt for a friendly unit to be selected as the spell's target. On the overland map, this typically requires clicking on the army stack that contains the unit which, in turn, brings up a list view of all units in that stack, allowing for the target to be picked individually. Only units not already under the effect of Resist Elements may be chosen. Once the spell is cast, a glowing outline appears around the unit (unless it is overridden by a stronger enchantment); and Resist Elements, along with its icon, will be displayed in the unit statistics window when inspecting this unit. The overland version of Resist Elements has an Upkeep Cost of that must be paid at the beginning of every turn to keep the spell in effect. This is automatically deducted by the game from the owner's pool as long as the enchantment remains in existence. If there is insufficient in the pool to pay for the spell, then it will dissipate, ceasing its effect immediately. It may also be cancelled manually by left-clicking its name in the unit statistics window of its target unit. However, this action can only be performed outside of combat, during the caster's own turn. The combat version of Resist Elements does not carry over to the overland map: it will disappear automatically as soon as the battle is over. As such, it has no Upkeep Cost; but at the same time may not be manually removed by its caster either (as enchantments can not be cancelled during a battle). Acquisition As a Common Spell of the Realm, Resist Elements may become available to any Wizard who acquires at least Spellbook. With none, the spell can naturally not be learned during the campaign. This is the minimum requirement for it to be traded for, appear in Treasure, or be found in the spoils of victory when conquering the Fortress of a rival Wizard who already knows it. The base chance for Resist Elements to be researchable (at some point) in the campaign is roughly 30% (with book), which gradually increases with the amount of Spellbooks possessed or found during gameplay. With or more, the spell is certain to show up sooner or later, unless acquired from another source. It has a Research Cost of , although its research is quicker for Wizards possessing the Sage Master, and/or Nature Mastery Retorts; or a bookshelf containing or more. Resist Elements may also be selected as a starting spell by any Wizard with at least books. In this case, it will be available for casting as soon as the game begins. Item Power Resist Elements can also be duplicated as an Item Power and imbued onto a Magical Item. This requires either the or the spells, and has the advantages of being non-dispellable, and requiring no Upkeep Cost. While enchanting onto an item can't be done unless the Wizard possesses at least Spellbooks, knowledge of the actual spell is not necessary. Selecting this Power increases the item's total value by . can be enchanted onto any type of Magical Item. Naturally, this means that it is available to any Hero, as all of them possess at least one miscellaneous Equipment Slot. If an item with this Power is created and given to a Hero, then they will benefit from the effect described above for as long as they keep the item equipped. Since is present on 11 pre-fabricated Magical Items, it is also possible to occasionally find an item already imbued with this Power in Treasure, or be offered one for purchase by a wandering Merchant. Strategy Resist Elements is an excellent early-game protective spell against enemies that use either , or some form of petrification. It can be especially useful against neutral opponents, such as Dark Elven Normal Units if the player starts on Myrror; or , , or guarding Encounter Zones on either Plane. The abundance of the latter creatures in lairs in the official game usually makes this spell a good investment, possibly even as a starting one. Resist Elements works best on units with high counts, at least when defending against or Stoning Gaze, in which case it may still be useful in the mid- to late game. Because the effect doesn't stack with that of however, it will typically get superceded by the stronger spell, at least on units that participate in many battles. While is a comparatively small bonus, it may be just enough to push a unit with a fairly high over the threshold for being immune to a certain attack too. That is, if the resulting score is or more (considering, of course, any penalty applied by the attack), then the unit can no longer be affected, completely eliminating the risk of taking from that attack. For example, if a unit with a base is engaging , whose Stoning Touch carries a penalty, then casting Resist Elements can tip back the scale, and make the unit immune to the Touch Attack again. It's also worth noting that the low Casting Cost of Resist Elements is a double-edged sword. On one hand, even the lowest level spellcasting Heroes are able to cast this spell at least once in every battle, which makes it convenient to use situationally when required, instead of maintaining it overland. On the other hand though, it also makes the enchantment more prone to being dispelled, which may matter when going up against the forces of a rival Wizard. Category:Unit Enchantments Category:Nature